Zimbabwe Timeline
1000 AD Shona people began their rule, building a city called Zimbabwe
1400s A branch of the Shona established the Mwanamutapa Empire. The branch was called the Karanga.
Late 1400s A southern Karanga group, the Rowzi, rebelled and formed the Changamire Empire. They overtook the Mwanamutapa Empire.
1500s Christianity introduced by Portuguese explorers.
1830s Nguni people from the south defeated the empire.
1888 Lobengula, the Ndebele ruler, signed an agreement that granted mineral rights in the area to the British South African Company.
1893 The British South African Company occupied most of the region. They called the territory Rhodesia.
1896-1897 Black African uprisings were crushed by the British South African Company. Reports of gold brought more Europeans.
1897 Great Britain recognized southern and northern Rhodesia as separate territories.
1922 White settlers voted for self-government.
1923 Southern Rhodesia became a self-governing British Colony.
1953 The United Kingdom set up the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, which included southern Rhodesia and Northern Rhodesia.
1961 A new constitution was approved by the United Kingdom and Southern Rhodesia. Leading black African party members boycotted the election, because they felt that too few blacks could vote.
1963 The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was dissolved.
1964 Northern Rhodesia became Zambia. Southern Rhodesia became known as Rhodesia. It demanded its independence.
11 November 1965 Prime Minister, Ian Smith, declared Rhodesia independent. The United Kingdom declared this action illegal and banned trade with Rhodesia.
1966 The United Nations imposed sanctions on Rhodesia
1969 A new constitution was approved. It was designed to prevent black Africans from ever gaining control of the government.
2 March 1970 Rhodesia declared itself a republic. No country recognized its status.
1971 Rhodesia and the United Kingdom reached an agreement that included provisions to gradually increase black representation.
1970-1974 Fighting took place between government troops and black guerrillas.
1974 Both sides agreed to a cease-fire.
1976 Fighting broke out again.
Late 1970s Prime Minister Smith began to make plans to establish a new government with a majority of black leaders.
April 1979 Election resulted in a majority of black leaders. Abel T. Muzorewa became the first black Prime Minister.
31 May 1979 Zimbabwe proclaimed its independence.
1 June 1979 The nation of Zimbabwe, formerly Rhodesia, came into existence.
September 1979 Fighting of black guerrillas continued until the British reached a settlement between the government and the guerrillas.
February 1980 The Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party won a majority of the seats in the House of Assembly.
18 April 1980 Great Britain recognized the country's independence. Rhodesia's name was officially changed to Zimbabwe.
1982-1984 The national army and guerrilla forces formerly aligned with the Zimbabwe African People's Union(ZAPU) party. They engaged in a series of clashes.
1987 The office of executive president replaced the position of prime minister.
31 December 1987 Robert Mugabe was sworn in as Zimbabwe's first executive president.
1989 The ZAPU and ZANU-PF parties merged to form the ZANU-PF party.
1990s The AIDS edpidemic spread throughout Zimbabwe
21 August 1998 Zimbabwe sent 600 troops to support Pres. Kabila in the Congo. Rwanda called for a cease fire and warned that it would intervene if the troops from Zimbabwe were not withdrawn.
28 October 1998 In Zimbabwe it was reported that 1 in 5 adults was infected with the AIDS virus.
16 December 1998 In Zimbabwe former Pres. Canaan Banana (63) was returned from South Africa and was placed under house arrest. He had been convicted Nov 26 of 11 sex charges.
18 January 1999 In Zimbabwe former Pres. Canaan Banana was sentenced to 10 years in jail for sodomy and indecent assault. Nine of the years were suspended.
February 2000 In a referendum held Zimbabwe voters rejected a new constitution that had been supported by the ZANU-PF. The new constitution included provisions that called for redistribution of white-owned farmland to blacks. Supporters of Executive President Mugabe began squatting on white-owned land.
May 2000 Mugabe signed into law the constitutional amendment that allowed government to seize white-owned land without paying compensation.
17 June 2000 Zimbabwe Pres. Mugabe said that whites may live in Zimbabwe, but they will never have a voice equal to that of blacks.
25 October 2000 In Zimbabwe the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) presented articles of impeachment against Pres. Mugabe.
7 November 2000 In Zimbabwe white farmers appealed to the highest court on the constitutionality of the emergency powers used by Pres. Mugabe for farm seizures.
12 November 2001 In Zimbabwe the government banned 1000 farmers from cultivating their fields and gave them 3 months to vacate their homes as part of a "fast track" land redistribution plan.
5 March 2002 Controversial election brings Mugabe to power for another six years.
August 2002 Courts order white farmers to leave their land.
Works Cited
Cauvin, Henri E. "Mugabe Takes Office Again, Appealing for National Unity." New York Times. 18 March 2002.
Metzler, John D. "Zimbabwe." World Book Encyclopedia. 2001.
Ratnikas, Algis. Today in History. Online. http://timelines.ws/TODAY.HTML.